20 Questions {Marriage}

Since Valentine's Day is less than a week away, I wanted to do a Q&A about marriage.

One of my favorite photos of us. September 2002

1. How long have you been married?

8 years since June 2002

2. How long have you been together?

9 years since October 2001

3. Where did you go on your first date?

Cheesecake Factory

4. Where did you go on your latest date?

Does Chipotle with the kids count as a date?

5. What's your anniversary date?

June 29, 2002

6. Where were you married?

First Baptist Church, Celeste, Texas

7. What was your best/favorite wedding gift and from whom?

Dishes from Mark's parents and my parents, and bedding from my aunt. This is random--a beautiful wooden salad bowl from Pottery Barn from my friend, Kimbree.  It gets a ton of compliments anytime I take it anywhere.

8. Where did you honeymoon?

New York City

9. What food do you like now because of your spouse?

Pastrami on rye

10. What type of music do you like now because of your spouse?

We like a lot of the same music, but I have a new appreciation for the Foo Fighters now.

11. What movie or television program do you like now because of your spouse?

Movie: Coming To America
TV show: Seinfeld

12. Favorite PG rated thing you like doing together?

Working together.

13. Last gift you bought your spouse?

Flat screen TV 

14. Last gift your spouse bought you?

Hudson Jeans. I wrote about them here.

15. Favorite things about your spouse?

He's a Christian with a strong faith, and he's knowledgeable about the Bible.
He's smart and has a great memory. He has a double major in math and history.  I was lucky to get out of college with one degree, ha!
He has a great sense of humor.  He's funny and witty. 
He's supportive. 
He's a devoted father and makes our family a priority above all else.

16. Something you disagree about:

He's a night owl and I'm a morning person.

17. Book that you both like:

The Old Man and the Sea
The Grapes of Wrath
The Bible

18. Best shared experience?

I can't name just one. It's the big things--the birth of our kids and the little things--birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, memories we've made traveling. We're always making new memories so it's hard to choose.

19. One thing you want to do together in the future?

Retire and travel!


20.  What makes a marriage last?
Some of the best advice I was ever given concerning marriage was to never take each other for granted. Sometimes when I do something that drives Mark crazy or vice versa we remind each other that at least we have each other and we're not alone. It's a good reminder that I'm blessed to have someone who loves me, imperfections and all.

In college, I interned with a social worker, Sara, and she and her husband were such a good example of a healthy marriage. She said that they were best friends and enjoyed spending time with each other more than anyone else. It gave me the confidence to know that it was okay to want to be with my husband more than anyone else in the world.

Also, we believe that marriage is forever. That takes work and commitment, but we know we're in it for the long haul so there's no other option for us. Mark's parents and my grandparents have given us examples of marriages that have withstood the test of time. We are grateful for that blessing.

I wanted to include some Bible verses about love and marriage. You're probably thinking here she goes with 1 Corinthians 13, but that's not what came to mind first.

This is what I thought of,
Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.